Every Survivor has its Survivors
by CyaeghaUK
Summary: This is the precursor to a planned series of scenarios or short campaign for the role playing game, Star Wars: The Edge of the Empire. At present it is still in development and is subject to minor alterations with possible additions.


**Every Massacre  
has its  
Survivors**

I

Not all of the ten thousand Jedi in the Galaxy were fighting on the front lines alongside the clones in the Grand Army. Del Jarath had worked in the Acquisition Division of the Jedi for most of his career since being promoted to Knighthood. As such he was well travelled and well accustomed to dealing with persons of varied races and species. His Padawan, Jorl Herran, served him well and faithfully; much of the training and many of the lessons were conducted on the starship, _Zephyr_, on trips to various planets all over the galaxy. They were tasked with retrieving Force sensitive younglings and bringing them back to the Jedi temple on Coruscant. It was Jedi Knight Jarath's duty to assess the children and if he deemed them suitable to remove them from their parents or guardians and take them to a new life in the Jedi order.

The war had hindered efforts to bring younglings to Coruscant: travel, especially in many parts of the Outer Rim, was more hazardous and higher priorities delayed such missions more often than not.

Jarath's and Herran's current mission listed six children who had been identified on six different planets within easy reach of the Corellian Run; part of the mission taking them to the fringes of Hutt Space in a region of the Galaxy that had seen more than its fair share of conflict during the war. The children, all of different species, ranged in ages of one to four standard years, a Duros, Bothan, Zabrak, Lethan Twi'lek, human and finally an Iktotchi.

This vital work was not as easy as some believed, even for trained Jedi: removing children from their homes, from parents or guardians who were unlikely to ever see their progeny again, was emotionally draining work. Even when parents and guardians were willing and volunteered their children to the temple it was a highly moving occasion when they were parted.

The sixth and final child was the eldest at four standard years by the name of Sarreen Tish on the harsh and uninviting moon of Iktotch in the system of the same name located in the Expansion region. A rather unimportant system located a short jump from the Corellian Way and Gamor Run. Few non-natives visited the system. The only habitable world was a moon of the gas giant Iktotchon, Iktotch: bleak and uninviting wind-swept. The only thing of interest, from the point of the two Jedi, was the presence of a Jedi temple there built as a consequence of the Iktotchi's innate prescience.

The two Jedi approached the Jedi temple, bracing themselves against the irrepressible wind. Finally they arrived glad to reach the shelter of the stout stone building. Inside the entrance hallway stood the woman. The two Jedi recognised Shur'ell Tish and her daughter Sarreen.

"You must hurry from this place and take my daughter, Sarreen, with you. Promise me that you will keep her safe and return with her when it is safe," the mother said to the two Jedi without waiting for pleasantries.

"Don't worry, we'll take good care of her on Cor..." replied Jarath.

The Iktotchi woman interrupted him: "No! It is not safe not for you or the children. You must go there is little time."

"Mother is right," interjected Sarreen, "we must leave. Everyone else is gone. We are the last."

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of Jarath's lightsaber igniting. He took up a defensive posture and scanned the area around them.

"What is it master?" Asked Herran, suddenly concerned.

"Stretch out with your feelings. What do you sense?"

Herran reached out with the Force trying sense the threat. It was definitely there: an overwhelming sense of mortal danger. There was no mistaking the sensation but it was vague, lacking definition. Their lives were in peril but from what and its origin were obscured.

"Danger, master, but nothing specific. The Force. It feels..." Herran struggled to find the right words, "...it feels... different. Can't put it into words… it is like part of it is gone? Like it is… wounded?"

"We must leave. Get the youngling inside and get the ship fired up."

Herran hurried onto the ship with the youngling, leaving Jarath behind scanning the vicinity. He took his charge into the nursery, leaving her with the five others and their carer droids and headed into the cockpit to start up the ship. Jarath was not far behind him. "Go and check on the younglings and get the ship off the moon and into a close orbit around the planet," he ordered as he entered the cockpit, "the radiation will make us difficult to detect!"

"Yes, master," Herran obeyed. He hurried away with the young girl, while his Master dallied to speak with the Iktotchi extinguishing his lightsaber and it put away.

It did not take Herran long to return to the _Zephyr_ following Sarreen as she eagerly ran off ahead. The landing ramp lowered as he approached and Sarreen rushed up it unbidden. Herran followed in her wake. At the top of the ramp he saw Fluera Femi, a rare red-skinned Lethan Twi'lek. She asked him, "Are we under attack?"

Herran looked at the young girl and wondered what he should say. He had no clear knowledge of what was happening. He had sensed their peril, one that put their lives at risk, but no immediate threat. He sensed the distress his hesitation was causing in the young Lethan and knew he had to allay her fears. "No, of course not. We merely sensed a disturbance in the Force. We are not under attack." He reached out with the Force sending out sense of safety and security. "back to your room, we are about to take off." He hoped his lack of the customary pre-take off briefing would not alarm the child and went forward to the cockpit where he saw R2-C13 plugged in leaving the carer droids to look after the younglings. "As soon as Jarath is aboard, take us into low orbit around Iktotchon."

The droid beeped in response.

"I don't know," he replied, "right now I am playing it by ear." He left the R2 unit to follow his orders and went back to the nursery to check on the younglings.

Herran felt the ship take off an. Over the intercom, Jarath said, "Del, I need you up here in the cockpit." He looked at the six children momentarily. Satisfied that all was well with them, for now at least, he left them in the care of the droids and returned to the cockpit. There he found a very troubled Del Jarath.

After Herran had settled into the co-pilot's seat, Jarath said, "While I was taking off, we received a coded transmission... We have been ordered back to Coruscant." He touched a button on the communications terminal and Herran saw the coded transmission from the Jedi Temple confirming what Jarath had just told him.

The two Jedi exchanged a look. "I shall meditate on this. Keep the ship in orbit around the gas giant and do not reply to any transmissions, coded or otherwise. Find somewhere to put this." Jarath handed his Padawan an odd-looking case.

Even as Herran responded with, "Yes master," Jarath was already on his way to his quarters. Herran examined the case. It was metal sealed in black plastic. It clearly was designed to open but there was no external catch or lock visible. He gave it a quick look over and put it on the floor in the cockpit. It could wait. Herran realised Jarath must have received it from Shur'ell.

To pass the time during Jarath's meditation, Herran decided to do some training with the older younglings. Nothing too arduous or fancy at this early stage: just some simple levitations to teach them some rudimentary control. Each was strong enough in the Force to move around small objects with their minds. After several hours of this he got them to throw and catch balls while blindfolded.

Hours passed and the younglings became restless. He fed and watered them from the ship's basic but nutritious rations. By now they were all tired and he put them all to bed leaving the two carer droids to watch over them.

Herran was at a loss what to do so he returned to the cockpit and studied the swirling patterns of the storms in the atmosphere of the gas giant around which they were orbiting. He had no idea how long he had been doing this when he noticed that they had received another coded transmission from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. He had been sloppy. Events had moved on and his mind had been elsewhere. Herran berated himself for his failing. He read the message twice to make sure he had read it correctly. His immediate reaction was to go to Jarath but he stopped himself. _No, wait until Jarath's mediation is complete._ Patience: over and over again he had been taught patience and to trust in the Force.

Having nothing else to occupy him, he allowed a troubled slumber to claim him…

Herran did not know how long he had been asleep when Jarath woke him. His Master looked drawn and tired. "I can no longer sense Mela," he said, adding "and the Jedi." Jarath had a close connection to his twin sister and could sense her presence even over many light years; a connection even stronger than with his Padawan but that connection was now gone, severed, which could only mean one thing… "Mela is dead. I realise it now, I felt her death back on Iktotch. But it is not just Mela, it is the Jedi Order."

"How?" Herran was dumbfounded. How was this possible? How could this have happened? His Jedi training at this moment failed him: he felt afraid, very afraid. "Not everyone. Someone is still out there. We received another coded transmission from the Temple. We are to abandon our mission and go into hiding."

Jarath had a sense of focus lacking in his Padawan: "Our mission now is to survive and to protect the younglings. We must do our best to teach them the ways of the Force and keep the Jedi Order alive. First we find out exactly what happened and who or what did it. I suggest we discard our Jedi robes and avoid using our lightsabers in public unless _absolutely_ necessary."

Herran turned to the navcomputer and looked at the nearby systems looking for ideas for their next destination. Tatooine and Rodia were nearby but he discounted them and continued looking. "I think we should return to the Corellian Run and go back to the Outer Rim. We could go to Koiogra. It is on the Triellus Run, one of its lesser systems within the boundaries of Hutt Space. Seven inhabited planets, main one being the seventh planet, Merebogee. From there we can divert from the Run and go deeper into Hutt Space or we stay on it and continue to Republican space farther along the Outer Rim."

The journey to the Koiogran system was uneventful except for homesick children crying for their parents with the notable exception of the Iktotchi girl, Sarreen, who seemed to have accepted her situation without complaint. In fact she seemed rather excited. She was even happy to help out with the younger children, doing her bit to calm and to reassure them that the two Jedi would take good care of them all.

Sarreen had been quick to establish herself as the senior one among the younglings being the oldest, a role in which the Lethan girl, Fluera, saw herself prior to Sarreen's arrival. The Iktotchi had sensed that her Twi'lek counterpart had the potential to be more powerful with the Force than she but right now it was not strength that was needed to survive but vision and it was at this that her race excelled. Unfortunately, her power of foresight, limited as it was, had diminished since leaving her home world. Her mother had warned her that this would happen but she was still surprised by how much. Why hadn't she foreseen this?

It seemed strange to her that two humans were instructing her in the ways of the Force. So far, her mother had done most of her instruction with some preliminary lessons at the temple but none with the off world Jedi all of whom had been warned to leave some weeks earlier. Meanwhile, her people had been returning home from around the galaxy and preparing for a blockade. Whether or not she would see her mother or Iktotch again was something neither she nor her mother could foresee. She knew all too well her future lay on the hands of two aliens neither of whom understood her culture. Her mother had told her not to be afraid, no she had ordered her not to be afraid but she could not help it.

Sarreen could sense the fear on the Fluera too. She surmised the Jedi must have sensed the fear in them but they were too busy dealing with the downfall of the Republic and their Order to worry about that right now. The only thing she could do was to try and put it of out her mind and concentrate on her studies.

For the most part these studies took the form of a game. The game involved finding the location about the ship of the other children by reaching out with the Force to feel their presence. Sarreen and Fluera could find each other the very easily. Sarreen, already knowing where this was leading, tried her best to suppress her presence in the Force. However this was easier said than done and Sarreen was frustrated by her lack of progress…

A voice in her said spoke: _cargo hold two, easy peasy!_ It was annoying that Sarreen could hear Fluera speak to her in her head but she was unable to reply telepathically. _It must be something to do with being an Iktotchi._ Sarreen took out her comlink, "...and you are in the cockpit. I've told you before you cannot hide behind the Jedi! See you back in the nursery?"

"I'll be waiting for you!" Fluera was in a cocky mood.

Sure enough, she was there sat on the floor in the middle of the room pretending to meditate; an act that was ruined instantly when she broke out into laughter. The mirth was cut short and the Lethan's face suddenly wore a serious expression. She asked of her new friend, "The Jedi are taking us to Koiobra. The Jedi said they were picking up six children. You were the last. Why aren't we going to Coruscant?"

Sarreen sensed the joy of her friend getting one over her vanish and the nagging fear returned, reminding her of her own. Her mother had told her not to say anything to the other children but she knew not what else to tell them. "It is Koio-_gra_ not Koio-_bra_. There Del and Jorl and will find out the Republic and Jedi Order are gone. They will then take us somewhere safe and teach us about the Force. We are never going to Coruscant."

"I don't like this game," said Fluera, angrily.

"This is not a game. Mother told me what's happening. She sent me away like we sent the Jedi away to protect us from the New Order," said Sarreen smugly, revelling in her fore-knowledge.

"I don't like this game," repeated Fluera, "I'm telling the Jedi." She stormed out angrily with tears in her eyes.

Fluera found both of the Jedi in the cockpit; neither they nor the droid reacted to her arrival. As she had stormed down the corridor, she had visualised making a grand entrance but here she was seemingly oblivious to the other occupants, left unsure what to do next. One thing was certain: the Jedi were not going to ignore her for long. She decided, if her friend was getting into trouble she was going to get into real trouble: "Sarreen has turned to the Dark Side."

The droid made a series of bleeps and whistles that might have been its version of laughter; though Fluera felt satisfied interpreting its reaction as alarm. The two Jedi turned to face her in unison and both stared at her coldly. No, this was all wrong. Why were the Jedi not doing anything about Sarreen? This was not the way it was supposed to be. Frustration and anger welled up inside of her, again. Jedi Knight Del bent down to look at her eye to eye. "There is no emotion, there is peace."

_What? Is that it? No discipline? What in the name of the Force did he mean by that?_ '_There is no emotion, there is peace?'_ Fluera was very confused.

"Go to Sarreen and say those words to her. She will explain them to you. 'There is no emotion, there is peace.'"

"There is no emotion, there is peace." The youngling repeated the Jedi's words without an iota of understanding and rather morosely exited the cockpit, the thrust well and truly removed from her drive.

Sarreen sat in the nursery waiting patiently for Fluera to return. The carer droids were busy looking after the four younger children and had left her to her own devices. She had guessed the Jedi would be pre-occupied. Guessing was difficult especially when one was accustomed to foresight. Her mother had warned her ability would wane as she journeyed farther away from her home and she was not convinced she would ever get used to being without it. _Is this how everyone else lives?_ The thought frightened her.

Mother had told her what to expect at the beginning of her journey with the Jedi. After arriving in Koiogra they would learn what had happened to the rest of the Jedi and go into hiding. Beyond that the future was hidden from Mother's view though she hoped they would be first of a reborn Jedi Order.

From birth, Sarreen had been raised not to expect a normal childhood. She had developed very quickly and had a very mature mind for her age, a mind that pondered over her current situation and possible future until her thoughts were interrupted by the return of Fluera.

It was easy to sense the anger and frustration in her friend and it felt very satisfying but there was also confusion. Something must have happened while Fluera was in the cockpit, surmised Sarreen.

"Jedi said there's no emotion only peace," said Fluera quizzically.

The words were familiar to Sarreen; her Mother had already taught her some of the ways of the Jedi. "It is part of the Jedi code. We shall learn it soon." Her Mother had given some preliminary lessons to her but she was yet to understand its meaning. She said no more lest Fluera realise how little she actually knew.

The trip to Koiogra was not a long one by hyperspacial standards. Artoo piloted the ship into orbit around the seventh planet leaving the two Jedi free to reach out with the Force searching for threats but there was nothing or at least the Force revealed nothing to them, just had it had not revealed the ruin of the Jedi until it was happening. Both men felt a certain unease.

"Okay Artoo," said Jarath, "log into the HoloNet and let us see what we can learn..."

Nothing could have prepared the two Jedi: nothing, not the Force nor their Jedi training. In theory, the Republic had won the Clone Wars but the reality was more complicated. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine had promoted himself to Emperor and the Republic was now being reorganised into an Empire.

Count Dooku and General Grievous were dead, many other Separatist leaders were missing, presumed dead; the war was over and the clone troopers had turned on the Jedi, something to do with Contingency Order 66. The official story was that the Jedi Order had made a takeover bid. Four Jedi Masters had attempted to assassinate the Supreme Chancellor, leaving him hideously scarred and the clone troopers had turned on the Jedi and killed them, killed them all. There was speculation that some had survived: there were conflicting stories regarding Yoda's confrontation with Palpatine in the Rotunda of the Senate. Was Yoda dead? If he had survived there was yet hope, if not…

The clone troopers had turned on the Jedi. The thought wedged itself in Herran's mind. The clone troopers had turned on the Jedi. The Jedi and clones had fought along side each other for over three years, gained mutual trust and at the end the clone troopers had turned on the Jedi, without hesitation, with questioning their orders, they had just wiped out Jedi Order is if it were just another battle in Clone Wars.

If that were not enough there was someone or something new on the scene: a mysterious black clad cyborg using the name of 'Darth Vader'. He was a Force user of some power, interestingly, wielding a red lightsaber. The general consensus on the 'Net was that he was a Sith, though no one really knew what that actually meant. How could they? The newly self-installed Emperor had a suspected Sith as his 'emissary'. If Palpatine had a Sith underling, it stood to reason that he must wield great power himself.

Jorl Herran had not been able to quite believe his master after he had sensed the loss of the Jedi during his earlier meditation. Now, he saw the truth, before his very eyes, on the HoloNet, there was no denying it. He turned to his master and, not knowing what else to say, he asked, "So, who do you think this Darth Vader is?"

Herran could sense his master's bewilderment. It took him some time to reply, "Good question. Was he another apprentice of Darth Tyranus? Or maybe another alter ego of Dooku? No that seems unlikely, perhaps he is Darth Sidious' apprentice and he was badly injured at the end of the War."

"I don't suppose who he _was_ is important but who and what he _is now_."

"You are right," replied Jarath, still trying to put it all together in his mind. "How ironic, the Sith, we were seeking, was right in front of our eyes all along. You have to hand it to Palpatine. He planned it all brilliantly. So after a thousand years, after a millennium, the Sith have finally had their revenge."

Herran was dumbfounded: "It can't be. How could he live in such close proximity to the most powerful Jedi in the Galaxy and escape detection? It is not possible!"

"Underestimate the Dark Side at your peril, Padawan. You still have much to learn, as do I. As did the Jedi Order."

Herran, needing to think of something more positive, changed the subject: "My feelings tell me Yoda survived and is still alive in hiding."

Jarath was not convinced: "Are your feelings clear on this?"

Herran did not answer straight away. Was it wishful thinking or was Yoda genuinely still alive? He was unable to feel his living presence in the Galaxy as Jarath could his sister before her death and yet he believed Yoda still lived. The more he thought on it the more he was convinced he was right. Surely, if Yoda had truly fallen there would have been no doubt in the reporting of it.

Yoda was an enigma. His origin was a mystery, even to the little green alien himself. It was said he was nine centuries old. Herran thought this fanciful but he was a remarkable little being and if at some point in the future Yoda were to lead a counterattack against the Dark Side he would need Jedi by his side. "I trust in the Force master. The Jedi Order is destroyed but the Jedi will return and we shall, once again, defeat the Sith. We must drop out of sight, train the children and rebuild."

Jarath said nothing in reply to his apprentice. Instead, he picked up the case given to him by Shur'ell Tish. He probed it with the Force and it popped open. "Well, well," he said, in mock surprise, "our Iktotchi friends anticipated our situation: fake identichips for Sarreen, you and me, two credchips and a fake registration for ship. And there's a note: 'Please accept my apologies, I am unable supply new identities for the other children. I have supplied funds that should prove more than sufficient for you to make other arrangements. Teach Sarreen well. Shur'ell.' We had better get Artoo reprogramming the transponder…"

II

The _Zephyr_, or as it was now called, the _Dual Dawn_, travelled through Hutt Space in the vicinity of the Pando Spur and the Hollastin Run. They had managed to get some work moving cargo between systems: nothing major, just small private loads unlikely to attract attention from the bigger players, especially the Hutts.

Del Jarath now went by the name Han Dessel and Jorl Herran had become Harith Varriss, traders from the planet Corellia. All of the younglings now had new identities (the cover story was that they were war orphans) and the two former Jedi were feeling rather more optimistic about their immediate future than when they had for some time. Both of them were all too well aware that they were far from safe and careful to remain vigilant and to keep as low a profile in the Force as possible.

All things considered, the past few weeks had been good. So far they had managed to avoid the attention of the Empire and of the Hutts. The same could not be said of elsewhere in the galaxy. When they saw the news of the invasion of Kashyyyk and the enslavement of the Wookiees, the two Jedi were horrified. The further news that the Empire had justified the action by accusing the Wookiees of aiding and abetting Jedi was too awful to contemplate. It was difficult to take comfort in the knowledge in the confirmation that some Jedi had survived the purge when it was unclear if any of them had in turn survived the invasion of Kashyyyk. Even if they had, it was far too dangerous to attempt to contact them: better to leave them to find their own way. If the Sith could stay hidden, so could the Jedi.

The training of the younglings was mostly going well restricted to lessons aboard the _Dual Dawn_. Han Dessel had hoped to reawaken the prescient ability in the Iktotchi girl (who now went by the name of Fa'ale Lithin) but this had, so far, proved futile. Coruscant was not built in a day.

In the general scheme of the Galaxy at large, the Hollastin system was only a minor trade centre. It acted as a clearinghouse for goods imported from regions beyond Hutt Space. If it were not for the control the Hutts it would almost certainly been more important, more affluent and more law abiding. Hollastin suited the two former Jedi just fine. There was work here for them. The society was cosmopolitan with beings coming and going constantly. The idea was that no one would notice two small time ship owners with six war orphans in their care. So far the idea had proved sound.

They kept a close eye on the news to keep track of the Empire's activities. Incursions were already being made into Hutt Space. Stormtroopers had visited many worlds requisitioning supplies but, as yet, not as far as the Hollastin Run.

The current paid job of the _Dual Sun_ was transporting spare parts to the colony world of Berius, located just beyond the terminus of the Hollastin Run. Recently discovered, it was a new colony while in Hutt territory was not currently the direct control of any of the crime lords. Dessel and Varriss had hopes that this world would prove suitable for them as a permanent home.

_Dual Sun_ dropped back into real space at the end of the Hollastin Run in the Syvris system, notorious for spice smugglers and other rogues. From here it was necessary to recalculate the final jump to Berius. They had business here but nothing that would detain them for long. They had just expected to make a flying a visit and move on from the system without incident. Seeing a Star Destroyer on their arrival was not recorded on the itinerary.

Imperator-class Star Destroyers were the next generation of capital ship that had made their presence felt in the Galaxy towards the end of the Clone Wars. They were an upgrade of the Venator-class capital ships commonly used by the Republic. Each was, in effect, a small self-contained and heavily armed military base with a class two hyperdrive. These iconic dagger shaped ships stowed six squadrons of TIE fighters and a legion of stormtroopers and their various machines of planetside warfare. I never bode well for the inhabitants of a system if one of them turned up.

Harith Varriss looked at it hanging in space in orbit around Syvris with both surprise and horror. "What do we do now?"

Han Dessel remained calm refusing to let emotion cloud his judgment. "Nothing, we carry on as normal. Artoo, make the calculations now for the jump to the Berius system. We go to Syvris. Do what we need to do and then leave."

"What of the Imperial presence?" asked Varriss, making no effort to hide his alarm.

"If we are to hide," replied Dessel, still in control of his emotions, "we must do so in plain sight, right under the nose of the Empire and its machines of war. This will be a good test of our new identities. If they pass muster, we know we are safe. If not… let's not go there shall we?"

During the war, Jorl Herran found the presence of armoured clone troopers rather comforting. The same could not be said now that he was called Harith Varriss watching six stormtroopers searching the ship. They had checked the identichips of all on board and had a good look round. The younglings were under strict instructions to remain quite while the Imperial troops were aboard. Six more waited outside.

"What's this about?" asked Varriss, "If you told us who or what you're looking for..."

"Just routine," replied the lead trooper, enigmatically. It was clear to all that was far from 'just routine'. "Ship is registered to Harith Varriss and Han Dessel?"

"Yes, that is right; my associate is off ship running an errand," replied Varriss. The Force was warning him to be careful. They were at risk but the feeling was hazy and imprecise.

"These five all the children you have on board?"

"Yes," replied Varriss not knowing why he lied or what would happen if he were caught out. It just seemed the natural and the right thing to do.

Seemingly satisfied, they left. Varriss loitered at the top of the ship's ramp and reached out with the Force to hear what the lead trooper was saying…

"Ship checked. Nothing to report." Pause. "Acknowledged. Men, we are to wait here awaiting further orders."

"Well now we know for sure they are not looking for us," muttered Varriss to himself with much relief. He took out his comlink and contacted Dessel, "Han, Jorl here. Don't hurry back, we have some stormtroopers who have been checking over the ship."

"Really?" asked Dessel, "what were they looking for? Or who?"

"They didn't say, but I told them we only had five children. They don't know about Fa'ale. A feeling tells me it would be better if it stayed that way."

"Acknowledged."

Judging by the way that they had just jogged away, the twelve stormtroopers had received their further orders.

He retreated inside the ship closing the door behind him. "Han, the stormtroopers have gone. Looks like they were called away."

"Thanks my friend. See you shortly."

Varriss retreated to the cockpit and awaited the return of his master and then it hit him: a wave of anger, a wave of anger radiating from his master. He was killing the stormtroopers. It was over quickly. He felt the brutality of the deaths of the twelve men: their bodies left twisted and broken. For a fleeting moment he sensed… he did know what it was but there was something, someone else.

He saw Dessel running towards the ship carrying a hooded Fa'ale. In response, he opened the door and closed it behind them again.

R2-C13 wasted no time and the ship was in space in next to no time. It piloted them out of the gravity well to a safe jump distance. He tracked the course of the Star Destroyer on the sensors. It followed a natural orbit in space. _Dual Sun_'s movement away from the planet seemed to be going in slow motion. The hyperdrive was primed and ready.

"Artoooooooo!" he said. His adrenal glands were on overdrive.

"Whooooooooop," was the little droid's reply as they shot off into hyperspace.

Varriss let out a sigh of relief. The anger had subsided but he could hear younglings crying and he could feel their distress. He rushed to find out what had happened. He saw his master sat with his head in his hands. The care droids were calming the children. On the floor were scattered the six stormtroopers, their bodies lying with their heads and limbs at awkward angles.

The young Iktotchi, Fa'ale Lithin, looked at Varriss with a deadly seriousness that belied her age. She was the only one of the younglings not crying. "Anger made him strong." The coldness of her words sent a shiver down Varriss' spine.

Varriss was at a loss; he had no idea what to do. His master had retreated to personal quarters radiating uncertainty and conflicting emotions like a beacon in the Force. The younglings were asleep, helped along by some mild soporifics from the carer droids.

He had sensed echoes of his master's anger all too clearly. Dessel's rage had killed the twelve stormtroopers. Yoda's famous words came to mind: "Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering." He wondered what effect this would have on the younglings. A display of Dark Side power was the last things these impressionable youngsters needed. Varriss pondered on it more. _Are we following the will of the Force by protecting and training the younglings or defying it? Just how much had the prophetess Shur'ell Tish and her fellow Iktotchi foreseen?_

His musings were interrupted by R2-C13's whoops and beeps. He followed the droid back to the cockpit where he realised that they had landed on Berius. Varriss cursed his lack of mindfulness. It was no use, they were here now. There was a customer awaiting collection of some parts.

"Artoo," he said, his focus returning, "keep an eye on the system. If a Star Destroyer appears let me know. Plot a course out of here that avoids returning to Syvris."

The astromech droid responded with an enthusiastic series of beeps and whirls.

It did not take long for Varriss to conclude business on Berius III. He took the ship off world with great alacrity and made the jump to hyperspace. After a short trip he found himself in the little known system of Dubrava. After parking the _Dual Sun_ in a tight orbit around a gas giant, he decided now was the time to reflect.

He had not seen Dessel since he had killed the stormtroopers. He was sensing great conflict from the man cloistered in his quarters and great uncertainty in himself not to mention a whole gamut of emotions from the younglings. For now he was content to leave them with the carer droids. His first priority was to deal with his own feelings.

He lay on his bunk. He took a deep breath. He cleared his mind. He opened himself up to the Force. The Force sometimes showed visions of the future, or at least possible futures, but never to Varriss. Not once had he dreamt or received prophetic visions. In the days when he was Jorl Herran he had often pondered on this. Was the lack of visions a good or a bad thing? He never did work out the answer. Now he wished the Force would show him the way: a few prophetic hints of what he was supposed to do. Alas, the Force, as ever, revealed nothing.

The living Force around him was a maelstrom of chaos. Was this phenomenon a consequence of the actions of the inhabitants of the _Dual Sun_ or independent of them? Strange, the nursery was an island of calm around which the turbulence eddied and swirled.

_So, what does all this mean?_

Was the island of calm a natural aspect of the Force reacting to the presence of they somehow created it? Another thought occurred to him: _were the Emperor and his envoy so powerful they could perturb the Force this far away from Coruscant?_ Coruscant: he doubted he would ever get used to calling it Imperial Center. He seemed to remember that the word meant 'shining' in some ancient language. His mind drifted to recalling memories of Jedi Temple on that world. He felt a wave of sadness pass over him with the realisation that he would never see it again.

Varriss thoughts returned to the present. He felt frustrated at his failure to find clarity.

Fluera now went by the name of Deepa Sha'fal. She sat cross-legged on the floor of the nursery with Fa'ale. They were helping the one human youngling among them with some of his Force exercises. When he had been picked up from the planet Kallook IV he had been called Tarrin but now he had the name Sev Vern. Deepa and Fa'ale were levitating blocks on top of each other to build towers. Sev was having trouble understanding the lesson. Sometimes he would levitate the blocks clumsily, sometimes he would pick them up with his hands but he found greatest amusement from knocking the blocks over either with his hand or his mind. He was yet to see his fourth standard year and his still developing brain had little control, especially of the Force.

Sev sent blocks flying to his great amusement. "All fall down!" he laughed.

This teaching malarkey was harder than it looked realised Deepa. She looked up to her friend who was gathering the blocks up so that the practice could start over again. "Has Han turned to the Dark Side?"

Fa'ale laughed. "No. He's a Jedi."

"Were white men Dark Side?" asked Deepa.

"Dark Side," parroted Sev.

"Now look what you've done," said Fa'ale in her best serious voice.

"Well are they?" pressed Deepa.

"Troopers can't use the Force, so not Dark Side," answered Fa'ale, getting annoyed. She wanted to play with the bricks. Her short childhood had had little time for play and this time was precious to her and she was in no mood for serious talk, especially of the Dark Side of the Force.

"Dark Side," repeated Sev.

Fa'ale sighed. "Build a tower," she said. With her mind she moved the blocks.

Sev giggled and copied her, also moving them with his mind but with much less precision. With some effort they managed a tower four blocks high, the current record, before Sev sent the blocks flying using the Force to his great amusement and Fa'ale's joy.

Deepa called one to her hand telekinetically and looked at it closely but she was thinking about the Force: the Dark Side and the Light Side wondering how it all worked…

Han Dessel was in his personal quarters for days only emerging when bodily functions demanded a visit to the head. Even then he avoided contact with the others on board. After he finally emerged ready to interact he looked drawn, hungry and exhausted. Harith Varriss had one of the carer droids run some basic medical checks, which confirmed what his eyes had already told him. Dessel submitted to the crude medical examination without protest, staying silent until the droid had finished.

"You should eat," said Varriss, wondering whether or not his master was going to be able to live up to the challenge of protecting and training the children.

Varriss got some food and water from the ship's store and gave them to his master. He bolted the rather bland but nutritious ration pack and washed it down with the beaker of recycled water.

There was silence between the two men for a short while until Dessel finally spoke: "There is nothing more I can teach you. I hereby promote you to the rank of Jedi Knight."

This was not what Varriss was expecting; he knew not what he had expected his master to say but it certainly was not this. He said, "Do you have the authority…?"

Dessel interrupted him. "Until we know otherwise we must assume that _we_ are the Jedi Order." He pulled his comlink out of his pocket. "Artoo, come to the common room."

The green astromech obediently trundled in.

"Lightsaber."

R2-C13 whooped and whistled as it opened a side compartment revealing the Jedi's signature weapon, which Dessel drew to his hand, telekinetically. "I hereby promote you to a fully fledged Jedi Knight." He lit the lightsaber and used it to cut off Varriss' braid. It fell to the floor and there was a faint whiff of the acrid smell of burnt hair.

The lightsaber flew across the room and returned to its compartment inside the droid, which then returned to the cockpit.

"So," said Varriss, "you want to talk about what happened?"

Dessel looked back at his former Padawan and was silent. Whether he was thinking about what to say or was merely reluctant to talk about it, Varriss could not say. Finally, he opened up. "I wish I knew what happened. It happened so quickly. The stormtroopers approached us. They were interested in the Iktotchi girl. She looked up at them and said, 'I'm not the Iktotchi you're looking for.' Of course that just made them think she _was_ the Iktotchi they were looking for. I saw them raising their blasters but it was slow like time had slowed down. And then it happened. All the rage, the sorrow and the pain, they all came out. It was so easy. Killing them was so _easy_. They never stood a chance. Even without my lightsaber it was easy. The worst part of it: I enjoyed it. It was one of the most exhilarating things I have experienced in my life. If that was not bad enough part of me wants to do it again. I want to break every stormtrooper out there. I want to break them like I broke the ones I met on the street."

He put his head in his hands. Varriss had no clue what to say or do. Not too long ago he would have sought the wisdom of another Jedi Knight or a Master but now, as far as he knew, the two of them were now the Jedi Order. There was no one else from whom to seek council. He was on his own.

"There have been no sign of any Imperial pursuit since we left the Syvris system. I think we could go back to Berius..." suggested Varriss.

"I concur. We could find an isolated piece of land to farm and train the younglings in the Jedi arts. We must return to Hollast VII to buy some droids." Varriss paused. He thought about what he was going to say next; he was unsure himself: "While you were... fighting the stormtroopers. I felt something or maybe someone. I cannot say for sure. It was such a brief tremor, I might be mistaken. I don't know. It is possible there was another Force user on Syvris…" he let the words trail hoping that Dessel had felt something too, but also hoping he had not.

Dessel thought about this for a moment before replying. "The Force is a strange thing. One can find oneself stood next to a powerful Sith Lord and be ignorant of his true nature and yet feel the presence of one's twin sister on the other side of the Galaxy.

"Do we truly understand the true nature of the Force? Were the Jedi on the right path and if so why did the Force allow the Dark Side to destroy the Jedi? Do we need to re-evaluate the way we use the Force? Were we on the right path?"

"Do not say these things, Master," replied Varriss, shocked at Dessel's doubts, "the Jedi endured for thousands, no tens of thousands of years."

"But that did not save us from the revenge of the Sith," added Dessel.

III

Berius III was a planet still very much in the early stages of development and colonisation. Most of the beings living there originated from Hutt Space and nearby systems in the Outer Rim, largely humans and Twi'leks but there were also some other species from around that vicinity of the Galaxy, most notably Toydarians. It was a fertile and virgin world with indigenous flora and fauna making up a rich ecosystem lacking a species that had evolved sentience, according to the reports. It was not difficult to find a remote and fertile area to settle: out of the way but not too far removed from other settlers and a small but growing township called, rather unimaginatively, Market Town. They knew nothing about agriculture and livestock but the three droids they had bought had databanks filled with everything there was to know about farming.

They lived a quiet and isolated existence, which allowed the younglings to carry out their training in private. Occasional trips were necessary to Hollastin for supplies and they soon picked up business transporting goods for other farmers on the fledgling world.

On the whole, life was good. The younglings were healthy; they were growing up and growing stronger in the Force. They spent much of their time, when not training with the Jedi, playing hide and seek. As the younger children got older they joined in the game, seeking out the others using the power of the mind and trying to stay hidden by removing themselves from the Force. Varriss did most of the training with Dessel taking on a more distant supervisory role.

With Fa'ale, Varriss played another game. He had a die carved with the numbers 1 to 6. Fa'ale concentrated, allowed the Force to flow through her and tried to foresee the roll. It was a long, tedious and frustrating game. No matter how hard the two of them tried they were unable to rekindle her prescience. Her predictions were slightly better than average: correct about twenty percent of the time. Varriss knew his knowledge was lacking and that he needed guidance from a Master. For now, he continued as best he could, hoping he was doing the right thing though he recognised his methods were the fumblings in the dark by an amateur. Yoda and the other Jedi Masters made tuition look so easy; the reality was far, far different.

Fa'ale's frustration shone from her like a bright beacon in the Force: a frustration that matched his own. Even Dessel was at a loss on how better to bring out the Iktotchi's latent ability.

Varriss held the datapad on his lap and rolled the numbered die on the ground. He recorded the results of the training game on the pad and analysed the results later. Not that much analysis was needed to work out how little progress was being made. After an hour of getting nowhere, Varriss needed a break so he decided to speak to the little girl and satisfy his curiosity about some matters that had been on his mind for some time: "Why did your mother send you away? Your people have returned home, they even built extra orbital facilities to accommodate them all. The Empire is blockading your system not invading it. You would have been safe there?"

Varriss sensed the change in mood in the little girl. He had been impressed how she had adapted to her new identity so well and so quickly, no doubt she had been prepared by her prescient mother before the Jedi had picked her up. A darkness fell over her and he could feel her sense of loss and loneliness. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"No," she interrupted, "it's Okay. Mother said I'm not safe at home. She said Jedi would protect me."

"Why? Why does your Mother think you are not safe there?"

"Mother would not say. She said I would understand one day."

_Why do prescient beings feel the need to speak in riddles?_ Varriss resigned himself to not getting any answers but clearly Shur'ell Tish had sensed her daughter was in some kind of danger or at least had minimised the risk to her daughter by sending her away.

He cast these thoughts aside and changed the subject: "You insisted on going with Han when we were on Syvris. Did you sense something that made you want to go?"

"I just wanted to go with him," she said, innocently. She was thoughtful for a moment, perhaps wondering why she did want to go with him but she made no mention of it. "No reason."

_Maybe she still has her prescient ability; maybe it is latent. _For the first time since he started Fa'ale's training, Varriss felt he had clarity; that he was thinking clearly. _Her prescience is still there; it manifests at the will of the Force. These exercises are a waste of time!_

"Tell me," he continued, wondering, "while you were with Han and he was fighting the..."

"Not fighting," she interrupted, "killing. The stormtroopers weren't fighting. They were dying."

Varriss blanched. _Are all four year old Iktotchi like this?_ "Okay, while Han was... erm... killing... the stormtroopers did you sense anyone else in the area?" He was increasingly uncomfortable with this conversation. _Was she really so blasé about twelve human beings' deaths?_ He hoped she was merely repressing the experience to save herself from its emotional consequences.

"There were some other people about but they ran away when the stormtroopers hit the buildings and broke."

_Perhaps she did not recognise stormtroopers as beings? It was easy to forget that there is living and breathing person under that armour._

"Was there some one watching the fight, I mean… you know what I mean?"

"No."

"Okay," he said not wanting to pursue this any further, "we are not going to do this game anymore. Go to that tree over there and collect some of the fruit."

Fa'ale ran off to the tree. She liked the fruit. The task of gathering them with the Force was a bit easier than the other training tasks she had to do.

Life was quiet and one might even say uninteresting for the two former Jedi and their charges over the next couple of years. They claimed a small corner of Berius III as their own and built up a small farmstead; at first they had lived aboard ship on the ground but later they built some prefabricated buildings. They had become part of a disparate community of colonists. No one was truly self-sufficient and everyone, to some degree, survived with a certain amount of trade and co-operation. Being in possession of a hyperdrive capable spacecraft made Dessel and Varriss especially valuable.

They made regular trips to Hollastin and Koiogra for supplies, droids and news of the Empire and Hutt Space. They were keen for news of the blockade of the Iktotch system but news was scarce. They chose to believe this was a good sign. At least there were no reports of the subjugation as there had been with other non-human planets.

Each time they journeyed off world, Varriss reached out with the Force to try and detect the tremor he had felt on Syvris but he felt nothing. If there were another Force user out there, he or she was either keeping well hidden or their paths had not crossed again. Dessel remained convinced that there was no one out there but Varriss could not let it go. Before each trip off world, Varriss was in the habit of speaking with Fa'ale to ask if she had any bad feelings about the coming trip but the answer was always in the negative and so far nothing adverse had happened to them since Dessel killed the stormtroopers.

Dessel had remained distant from the younglings leaving most of the training and the overseeing of their exercises to Varriss. As such Varriss had grown close to the children and was feeling increasingly like a surrogate parent. Following the path of the Jedi, he had resigned himself to never having children and thoughts of having a family had been entirely alien to him and yet here he was, six young lives, his to nurture. It would not have been by his choosing but the Force had thrust this 'choice' upon him.

He marvelled at and found great joy in watching them develop into individual persons in their own right: each with his or her own unique personality. Each one was precious in his or her unique way. He often wondered if this was what it was to love a child as a parent would. The Jedi Order had discouraged emotional attachment and yet here he was actually embracing it.

Garrick Gr'roff was a Bothan with leonine features; his name was Raf Tor'val when the two Jedi collected him. He was the most outgoing of the six children as well as the most restless and the most inquisitive. He was learning language remarkably quickly. He loved to hear tales of the Bothan Jedi Master, Kai Hudorra, and he wanted to be just like him.

Luran Shar was the only non-mammalian child, a reptilian Duros. He had developed a liking for exploration and more than once they have had to go out beyond the farm looking for him. He was certainly the most slippery of the younglings and was adept at suppressing his Force presence making him difficult to find when he wanted to stay hidden.

Eeth Hark was the child about whom Varriss had the greatest concern. He was a Zabrak, originally named Lom Zlat. He was headstrong, impulsive and the most stubborn of the children.

The only human child was Sev Vern, given the name Tarrin by his simple farming parents. He loved to use the Force for the Force's sake. Teaching the child discipline was proving to be a challenge. Varriss was concerned he would betray their true identities by his needless use of the Force.

Deepa Sha'fal was born into a theatrical family of red-skinned Lethan Twi'leks when she was named Fluera Femi. She was the daughter of the actress A'lia Femi, with whom she had a strong resemblance. It was recorded in the Jedi Temple's archives that A'lia had had a Force sensitive daughter therefore it was important that she not be recognised. Officially, Fluera Femi was dead. Such had been reported on the HoloNet. As far as Varriss could tell, A'lia had said little in public about her daughter's premature demise and had put on a stoic front, though in all likelihood this was an act. Mourning the death of a child sent to the Jedi Temple would have been highly detrimental to her liberty.

Finally, there was the Iktotchi, Fa'ale Lithin, the last and the oldest of the six to be collected. She was mature far beyond her years. Her innate prescience was much diminished since her departure from Iktotch but it was still there albeit unpredictable. Her progress in learning Force techniques had accelerated since Varriss had abandoned his attempts to restore her precognition.

Of all the younglings he found Fa'ale the most curious. Varriss had realised that she was in the habit of absenting herself from the group and wondering off on her own. He followed her at a distance and watched. She found a spot that seemed to satisfy her and she knelt down and meditated. She was there for over an hour as Varriss observed. When she was done, she looked up and called out, "Can't a girl be on her own, master Harith?"

"I was curious," replied Varriss, feeling some embarrassment with the realisation she had known he had been there all along.

"I commune with Mother," was Fa'ale's explanation, "I knew you would keep following me until you found out what I was doing and now you know."

"You can reach all the way to Iktotch from here?" asked Varriss sceptically.

"Mother is strong with the Force," explained Fa'ale, "our bond is equally strong. I can sense her presence back home where she is safe behind the Imperial blockade."

"How long have you been able to do this?"

"Months," she said, "I hope to be strong enough soon to speak with her."

Varriss smiled. Maybe she was feeling the presence of her Mother parsecs away but she was never going to make telepathic contact but he did not want to dampen her spirit. "You will have to keep practicing..."

"You don't believe me do you?" accused Fa'ale, "I should have thought better of a Jedi than to humour me." With that she stormed off.

Varriss shook his head, muttering, "Iktotchi," under his breath as he returned to the farm.

"I heard that," shouted Fa'ale.

"Good!" retorted Varriss and they both burst into laughter.

Back at the farm, Fa'ale found R2-C13 repairing a labour droid. "Hi Artoo."

The droid turned to see the approaching Iktotchi and beeped in welcome.

She sat down and watched the droid work. It had never ceased to amaze her just how versatile it was; she almost believed it was bigger on the inside than on the out, it had so much packed away inside of it. Like many other R2 units, it was a headstrong and self-reliant. Fa'ale often wished she could sit and have a proper conversation with the droid but without a protocol droid and computer interface to translate its binary chatter she had to manage as best she could.

"Hey Artoo,"

The droid whirred and beeped in response.

"Have you ever reached out to someone? Tried to speak to them but just couldn't?"

R2-C13 responded with an excited crescendo of bleeps.

"Oh yes, I forgot." She suddenly felt embarrassed. _Come on, Fa'ale, I am better than this!_ "I have... erm..." she thought about how to phrase what she wanted to say: "I have contacted Mother. There were no words but I did feel danger. She warned me of danger."

R2-C13 stopped what it was doing and bodily faced the young girl. It emitted a long decrescendo whorl.

"I cannot talk to her. She cannot tell me what the danger is." She stared at the green droid searching for inspiration.

It made a series of bleeps in response and then pointed to the prefab farmhouse that Fa'ale now called home.

"You think I should speak with Han and Harith?"

R2-C13 emitted a long crescendo whorl.

"I wish they'd built you with a vocabulator!"

The droid responded with a series of staccato whorls that Fa'ale thought sounded a bit like laughter that made her chuckle too.

She left the droid to continue its repairs and headed off towards the farmhouse in search of the Jedi. She found Han digging a hole. He had not been the same since he had saved her from the stormtroopers. She had felt the anger in him. It had given him strength. The stormtroopers hadn't known what hit them. She had also felt his sense of exhilaration: he had got a buzz out of killing the Imperial troops. The fear Fa'ale had felt at the moment back then was not of the enemy soldiers but of Han Dessel, the man who was Del Jarath, Jedi Knight.

Since the incident he had been remote and had kept his interactions with the younglings restricted to training. Even Harith did not speak with him much anymore. Han preferred to be alone. Deepa had got into her head that he had fallen to the Dark Side but she thought the same about Eeth after he had stolen a Berian apple from her.

Fa'ale stood there frozen, wracked by insecurity. It was times like this that she missed her prescience the most. Back on Iktotch she would have known what to say, how to say it and how Han would have reacted. Here and now she was in the dark. Fear welled up inside of her together with the urge to run and hide.

Han must have felt her distress because he stopped what he was doing and turned to face the troubled child. "Don't be afraid." He said the words soft heartedly but Fa'ale could sense his irritation: the memory of the stormtroopers had resurfaced.

Not knowing how better to phrase it, she blurted out: "We are in danger, master."

He looked at her coldly. Fa'ale did not need the Force to sense the lack of warmth in his smile. "We are in constant danger, youngling. Now run along..."

IV

Fa'ale awoke with a start. She sat bolt upright, her heart racing. The dream had been vivid; it had seemed real but also frustratingly vague. _Harith is right. There is someone out there!_ It was over three years ago when Harith had thought he had fleetingly felt a presence in the Force. Since then nothing, nothing that is until Fa'ale dreamt.

She rushed out of the youngling's dormitory and into Han's room. He was already awake when she burst in. Alarmed, he said, "What is it?"

"There is a man. He was there on Syvris. He is coming for us. In my dream he..." she hesitated, her lip trembled, "…he stood over your dead body."

"Was this a dream or a premonition?" Han seemed rather unconcerned, which confused Fa'ale: she had just foretold his death!

"It was no dream. It was a warning from the Force."

"Okay, Okay," replied Han soothingly, "calm down and tell me what you saw."

Fa'ale took a deep breath and calmed her mind; her Jedi training kicking in. "A male being, he might be human but he was hooded so I could not see. He is looking for us. The dream was unclear. I don't know why he has taken so long. Maybe he has been doing other things. He is working alone. He wants to kill you, Harith and us younglings. He wants your lightsabers."

"A lightsaber can be used as a proof of a kill," replied Han, "this means he is either working for the Empire or is seeking to curry favour with the Emperor." He paused, thinking.

"Not a Sith, his lightsaber was green."

Han knew what she was thinking, "No child, a red 'saber does not necessarily mean a Sith and a green one a Jedi. He maybe a fallen Jedi or perhaps he acquired a lightsaber with a natural crystal during the Clone Wars. Be mindful not of the weapon but of the wielder."

"Yes, master."

"Go back to bed and let me know if you dream of this man again. For now, don't mention this to the others."

The following morning Varriss drove to Market Town in the speeder. The town had grown up around a market used by the colonists living in the surrounding area. It was two straight hours drive away, two hours Varriss spent pondering what Dessel had told him earlier that morning. Fa'ale's dream was disturbing and he felt no satisfaction at being right about an unknown Force user out there with deadly intent.

He had brought Sev along with him. This was a good opportunity to teach the human boy the value of not using the Force when the situation warranted. Sev had fallen asleep at the back of the speeder.

Varriss wondered what he was going to do after he had arrived in Market Town. Boldly making random enquiries about a newly arrived Jedi was unwise. It would attract attention and people would talk. It would make it easier for this shadowy person to find them and may even attract other unwanted attention. No, all he could do is mill about, make small talk and see if he could stumble across any information. There was only one thing he could: trust in the Force.

Just as he was parking up Sev woke up. "We here?" He said excitedly. "We buy sweets?"

"I sometimes think all you about are your treats," replied Harith, laughing, "come on."

Harith and Sev wondered about the market for an hour. Both had a light late breakfast. He made small talk with some beings with whom he had made an acquaintance and he listened to what others were saying but no one was talking about a suspicious newcomer to the area. The main topic of conversation was the group of Toydarians that had arrived and were setting up some kind of junkshop.

Not knowing what else to do. Harith said to Sev, "Shall we go and check out the Toydarians?"

"What's a Toydan?" asked the little boy?

"Toy-dar-ian," enunciated Harith, "they are flying blue skinned aliens. Come on."

He was about to lead the young boy off when a voice interrupted him: "Harith! Good to see you." It was their nearest neighbour, a young human woman called Rae Jah. She was living on a farm with her brother Sullan and a Twi'lek called Teeshia. "How are you doing? It is so good to see you. We don't see nearly enough of you, neighbour."

_We don't see you often because you live over half an hour way_ thought Harith to himself. Outwardly, he said, "Good to see you too."

"Oh yes," replied Rae, grinning, "you must come over. Bring the war orphans. We shall make a meal for you by way of a thank you for the power converter you brought for us."

"That's not necessary," said Harith, fighting every instinct that wanted to accept her offer, "you paid a fair price for it."

"I know we did," said Rae, seductively, "but we get a little stir crazy just the three of us. Having the children over will do us good..."

"Oh can we? Can we?" enthused Sev.

"See, they want to come." She bent down to see they young boy eye to eye. "You wanna see Teeshia's lekku?"

"It's decided then," said Harith, somewhat reluctantly, "see you tomorrow night?"

"Good, it is decided then," she said, beaming.

"We are off to see what the Toydarians," said Harith, changing the subject. "Young Sev here has never seen a Toydarian before. You can tag along if you like." He had not consciously intended to invite her along but there he had said it. He knew allowing others to get too close was very dangerous but he found her easy to be with. The Jedi Order prohibited its members from making emotional attachments but the Jedi Order was gone and he was not making an emotional attachment; Harith and Rae were merely acquainted and perhaps in time they might be friends, at least that is what Harith was trying to convince himself as they walked towards the new junkshop.

Sev was fascinated with the Toydarians or 'Toydans' as he insisted on calling them. They were moving into a recently built shop and stocking it with abundance used parts. Four Toydarians flew about supervising a group of Gamorreans who were doing the actual work.

"The flying aliens are the Toydarians," explained Harith to Sev, "they come from the planet Toydaria, spinward from here, deeper in Hutt Space. The planet was taken over by the Hutts a long time ago and is still ruled by them." He felt a wave of fear emanate from Rae. _So, Rae is afraid of the Hutts; she must be running away from something, some Hutt maybe. Perhaps she has something to hide too. Has the Force brought us together for a reason?_ He chose not to ask her about. Maybe this could be something they might discuss tomorrow night...

Fa'ale awoke with a start. She sat bolt upright, her heart racing. The dream had been vivid; so like last night's and yet different. This time Han Dessel had defeated the Dark Jedi in lightsaber combat. He was revealed to her as a male human. Her mother had taught that the future is in constant motion and often far from certain. All a prophetess was able to do was peer into the flow of possibilities and interpret them as best she could.

This was all very confusing to the young Sareen Tish as she was called back when her mother was instructing her and it had not become much clearer to her now she was called Fa'ale Lithin. She remembered her mother's words, which had been little or no help: "If seeing the future were easy, everyone would be able to do it." Fa'ale felt frustrated. Her mother had been able to foresee the coming of the New Order and yet she was unable to foresee the outcome of the much less significant battle between two men.

If Han won the duel with the dark Jedi then all was good and she and the rest of the younglings were safe. If Han lost, what could she do to protect herself and her friends?

Fa'ale Lithin knew she would not get any more sleep therefore she quietly woke up the others. She informed them about the two dreams she had had.

The Zabrak boy, Eeth Hark, knew what to do: "We find bad Jedi. Get him before he gets us."

"We can't do that, Eeth," replied Fa'ale, "he is able to defeat a fully trained Jedi. We stand no chance."

"What do you know about him?" asked the Bothan, Garrick Gr'roff.

"Human, male. Green lightsaber," replied Fa'ale.

"Is he Dark Side?" asked Deepa unhelpfully, her lekku twitching.

"Yes, he is" replied Fa'ale, rather impatiently.

"Master Han will defeat him," added Deepa, "he's not Dark Side."

"Let's hope so," said Fa'ale.

Varriss found he had enjoyed spending the evening with his neighbours more than he had expected. He had half dreaded the experience but found himself very relaxed and at ease. Even the children were enjoying themselves. Dessel declined to attend but was agreeable to the others going.

As the evening wore on, Varriss found himself spending most of it speaking with Rae while keeping an eye on the children. He had worried about one of them using the Force, despite his strict instructions not to do so but his worry proved groundless. Teeshia kept the children entertained by making her lekku vibrate in interesting ways, ways Deepa tried to copy but was unable to reproduce the effect.

"So tell me, Rae," asked Varriss, "what brings you to this out of the way world?" He felt the fear rise in her again.

She said, "We just wanted to escape to a place where we could lead simple and uncomplicated lives. No one wants to live in the shadow of the Hutts and, well you must admit, this new Empire Palpatine has created is…" she thought for a moment, "well the Republic was far from perfect but the Empire is certainly no improvement!"

Rae felt a chill when she mentioned the Hutts. He reached out with the Force probing her feelings more deeply and hit a wall. A wall? Rae was strong willed; she had deliberately put up a wall to block him.

"What are you doing?" she asked sternly. At first she had been angry but this quickly turned to confusion. "Wait. Hang on. This... you can't be?"

Varriss cursed his stupidity. He tried to probe the feelings of a Force sensitive. Now he had given himself away and put himself and, more importantly the children, at risk.

"How did you survive?"

"Let's just say we have avoided potentially fatal Imperial encounters."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. In fact, I could help you with your cover..." Rae kissed Varriss on the mouth taking him by surprise. He was even more surprised that he let her do it and responded to her kiss. It felt like electricity coursing through his body. After the kiss ended, he felt breathless. _Is this the will of the Force or am I being weak?_ He wondered.

"Now that was not very Jedi-like behaviour," Rae whispered into Varriss' ear.

"Report me to the Jedi Council," he replied.

"Yoda would not approve," giggled Rae.

"Approve of your kissing, I do not!"

"That is not very respectful," she said in mock accusation.

"I don't suppose it is," he replied. Curious about Rae's background, he asked, "So what is your secret? Why are you running from the Hutts?" Her face paled and he did not need the Force to sense her fear.

She stroked his cheek and looked deeply into his eyes. "I know you mean well but can we not talk about this right now. Just hold me. I feel safe in your arms."

"Okay, I am sorry. I didn't mean…"

"Yes I know you didn't. Just hold me."

Harith Varriss held her in his arms and realised that he was inexplicably happy.

The following morning Varriss and Dessel were sat outside having a leisurely breakfast while watching the younglings doing their exercises. The training still took the form of games to improve their Force skills, games such as bat and ball, catch and other ball games all done blindfold. They continued to play their version of hide and seek and the younglings were now highly adept at keeping a low profile in the Force but that game they usually played in the evenings.

It warmed Varriss' heart to see the children playing so happily. There was some competition among them to improve their skills; he had allowed the competitiveness because it gave drive to them but he kept a close eye on it lest it became more than friendly competition. The Jedi masters of the Order would not have approved but they were dead and gone. Their council and wisdom was no longer available. Even if it still existed, archived in the great library of the Jedi Temple, it was accessible by survivors of Contingency Order 66. In the here and now, it was Varriss' duty to train the younglings as best he could and that was what he was doing, as best he could.

After the two former Jedi had discussed the younglings' progress, Dessel asked Varriss about his evening, "So, tell me about our neighbours. They don't strike me as the frontier colonist types. What is their story?"

"It was a most interesting evening," replied Varriss, "and yes you are right they are not colonists by choice. They are running away from the Hutts or a particular Hutt. I have sensed Rae's fear of the Hutts but she refused to say anything about it. Interestingly, she is Force sensitive. I was unable to make a proper evaluation of her abilities but I doubt she was strong enough to be considered for Jedi training. I doubt she was tested. I thought it better not to press her too much. She was able to feel me using the Force on her and, consequently, she now knows I am… was a Jedi.

"I think they will make valuable allies. I believe the Force brought us together. I am going to see her again tonight. I am hoping to learn more. It should be easier to talk without the children around."

Dessel sensed his former Padawan was holding something back. "Is that your only reason for your repeat visit?"

"Rae does make for pleasant company. We could really do with some friends here."

Dessel was not entirely convinced but he let it drop. "You may be right but don't let your feelings cloud your judgment."

Fa'ale Lithin was tired after a day of training games: being the eldest she felt her place to help the others as well as doing her own thing but despite this she still went outside to her private meditation spot. It was a chilly but she ignored the cold. She closed her eyes and visualised her homeworld. She visualised the Jedi temple. She visualised her mother. Her attempts to commune with her mother were not always successful and tonight was one of those dreaded nights where contact evaded her.

The living Force was in turmoil. All around her the Force flowed in chaotic eddies and roiling unpredictably effectively creating interference preventing her from making contact but within the haziness there was something: danger.

The forewarning was unclear but Fa'ale felt sure this was it. This was what her mother had tried to warn her about. She took a moment to gather the Force within her and then she ran. She ran as fast as her Force enhanced body would allow. Her adrenal glands were in overdrive. Her legs should have failed her but the midi-chlorians in her system gave her limbs the boost they needed to keep going.

_Fa-ale!_

The voice in her head was loud and clear. She could sense Deepa's distress, her fear; no not fear she was terrified. Her friend was in danger. All the younglings were in danger and Han. Harith was safe for now: he was with Rae. Emotions welled up inside her. Had she been mindful of her current state of mind she would have been worried about the anger and frustration rising up inside of her. The Force flowed through her. She could feel its concentrating in and around her. Her feet hardly seemed to touch the ground.

_Fa'ale! He's killing Han! Fa'ale!_

It had been mere seconds but time had slowed down for Fa'ale. _Oh no he is not!_ She replied angrily not caring Deepa was unable to hear her.

She saw Deepa. "Thank Ashla you here. Han!"

Behind her were the other four younglings and R2-C13.

"This way," said Deepa.

They ran round to the front of the prefab house and there is was the danger or rather there _he_ was... a hooded man in dark robes. He had Han held in deadly Force Choke. The former Jedi was struggling but he was getting weaker and his efforts were feeble. Fa'ale could the stranger's hatred and his anger.

"So," taunted the stranger, "you thought you can hide from Jordil Horus. Well, I found you and your lightsaber will be a great prize. The Emperor is recruiting Jedi hunters and you're my way in."

"Put. Him. Down." Fa'ale's words shot from her mouth like blaster bolts. The children formed a semi-circle on either side of the Iktotchi. She purged her mind of emotion: _There is no Emotion, there is Peace_.

Suddenly Han dropped and fell to the ground, clutching at his throat, gasping for breath.

"What?" screamed Horus. He turned to face the younglings. "Why you little…"

Fa'ale smiled. _There is no ignorance, there is knowledge_.

She sensed him trying to draw the Force within him. He reached out with his hands, his fingers spread. The hate within him escalated and he directed it towards the younglings; she merely stood staring at him calmly. Horus stood there and stared at his hands in confusion. "What is this?"

Fa'ale felt strong and powerful. The Force was with her. _There is no passion, there is serenity_.

Whether to mock or confuse him, Fa'ale knew not why she said the words: "There is no chaos, there is harmony."

"A shut up little girl," he spat the words out as drew and ignited his lightsaber, his blue bladed lightsaber.

"Blue?" said Sev.

"You said it was green," said Deepa, accusingly.

By then it was all over; Han Dessel decapitated Jordil Horus with his green bladed lightsaber.

"There is no death, there is the Force." Fa'ale finished the Jedi mantra and watched Han pass out.

Deepa stood over the corpse: "He was Dark Side."

Varriss had raced back from his visit to Rae in the speed pushing the aging vehicle for all it was worth. When he got back home he saw the decapitated body. He rushed inside and saw the younglings stood around Dessel's bed watching a carer droid take care of him.

"What..." stuttered Varris, "what... what... happened?" He was barely able to get the words out.

"Dark Side," replied Deepa. "Han killed him."

"We helped," added Luran.

"Fa'ale's dream came true," said Sev.

"But she got the colour wrong," was Garrick's contribution to the explanation, "his lightsaber is blue not green."

"Oh, shut up," Fa'ale told the others, "I shall explain what happened. The fallen Jedi finally found us. He nearly killed Han but we six stopped his Force and Han cut his head off."

Varriss was confused. "Wait, stop. He nearly... you 'stopped his Force'?" He scratched his head still trying to take it all in and make some kind of sense out of it all."

"Yes," said Deepa, "our Ashla stopped his Bogan."

"All right, we shall talk about that later," said Harith, "how is Han?"

"Han Dessel is suffering minor injuries but no treatment is necessary. Bed rest should be sufficient for a full recovery. I recommend he is not moved for two days to allow his body to heal itself. There is internal bruising in the neck around and just below the throat area. He is breathing adequately without assistance but there is some swelling." The droid's explanation was cold and rather matter-of-fact.

"You stay here and keep an eye on him," Harith said to the droid, "Younglings come with me. We must find his ship. We need to know if he was alone or if anyone else knows we are here."

It did not take long to find Jordil Horus ship. It was a beat up old freighter that looked hardly space worthy. It took some effort but R2-C13 eventually managed to open the main door. A quick look round revealed that the cargo holds had been converted into crude holding pens. The two former Jedi went to the cockpit with the droid while the younglings explored the rest of the ship.

Varriss found the main computer console but it was encrypted. Again, R2-C13 went to work. This was much easier for it to circumvent and Varriss had access to Horus' logs. It became quickly obvious that Horus had been making a living as a bounty hunter and a slaver. Examining the logs in more detail revealed Horus' attempts to track down Del Jarath and Jorl Herran: a sideline between paying jobs. He had sensed their presence on Syvris but had lost the trail after that. It would seem the Force was protecting the two Jedi much to Jordil Horus' frustration.

Harith Varriss read this and found comfort in Horus' frustration and his inability to find them. The Force had protected them. By hiding with the younglings and training them they were following the will of the Force.

Reading through the logs it became abundantly clear that Horus worked alone. No one else knew he was here and by inference no one else knew the two former Jedi and the younglings were on Berius III. A plan of action formed in Varriss' mind: "We need to take the ship out of the system and leave it adrift somewhere it will be found. If it falls into the hands of Captain Motti, we can convince him that we are long gone."

Dessel agreed. "What do you have in mind?"

"Still need to work out the details but we create some fake log entries. Horus has discovered we are dead or have moved to another part of the Galaxy or something. We are then in the clear."

"Agreed but we must be careful and take the time we need to do this correctly. Download a copy of the logs into the droid and study them more closely tonight. When you are ready write the new log entries and work out the best place to leave his ship abandoned. We should probably make it look like a shipboard malfunction caused a catastrophic loss of atmosphere to space; if the door is open it would explain the lack of a body. We cannot allow his corpse to be discovered by the Empire, not with a fatal lightsaber wound."

V

Captain Motti stood on the bridge of the ISD _Audacious_. "Do you have the ship on your scope?" He did not deign to look at the technician as he asked the question down below him.

"Yes sir," he replied without taking his eyes of his screen, "it is just ahead following a natural orbit from the outer system heading inwards."

"And the alien salvager?" Motti asked the question with some impatience; he sneered showing his distaste at having to deal with an alien.

"The Toydarian's ship is just behind it."

"What is the condition of the _Rapier_?" Motti became conscious of his hands fidgeting and placed them behind his back.

"Hull integrity seems to be intact. No energy emissions. Dead in space. Main boarding ramp is open. Initial scans confirm the Toydarian's report."

"Send a probe aboard."

"Yes captain."

The robotic probe launched from the star destroyer and headed towards the _Rapier_. It scouted round the ship a couple of times taking readings and then flew inside the ship.

"Well?" Captain Motti knew all too well that the probe had had not time to explore the little freighter properly yet but he did not let that stop him from asking.

"Still collating, sir," replied the technician, "atmosphere has indeed vented to space. Damage to inner door is consistent with lightsaber damage."

"Life pods?"

"None on board sir. Probe is now in the cockpit accessing the logs." There was a pause while he waited for data to stream.

Motti marched over the deck before the technician and glared down at him. "I am waiting…"

"Coming through now sir." He replied without removing his gaze from his console. "Ah. Our friend Jordil Horus met up with two Jedi, Del Jarath and Jorl Herran in the Syvris system. Seems he was tracking them along the Hollastin Run.

"Jarath and Herran?" Motti turned his attention to another of his underlings.

"On it now sir." The young woman replied. "Del Jarath Jedi Knight and Jorl Herran his Padawan. Acquisitions. On a mission collecting six younglings during Order 66. Listed as missing. Five of the younglings, Sarreen Tish, Tarrin, Lom Zlat, Dai Theen and Raf Tor'val are also listed as missing and one is listed as deceased, Fluera Femi daughter of A'lia."

"There is no mention of the younglings in Horus's log, just the Jedi," continued the technician reviewing the probe's data. "He had a course to Arkanis plotted into the navcomputer."

"Incoming transmission from the salvage vessel, Captain."

Motti marched back to the centre walkway of the bridge and scowled at the man who had just interrupted. "What does that smelly blue bug want?" He made no effort to mask his irritation.

"He is...erm... asking about the bounty for the Jedi?"

"Is he?" Growled Motti, "Tell that moth eaten piece of fifth that if it is still in my scopes in one minute I'll blow his worthless hide out of the sky. The Empire does not pay bounty for empty ships."

"With pleasure."

"File a report on the status of these three outlaws. We can close the file on these three. Have them listed as missing presumed dead."

Fa'ale Lithin woke with a start. The dream had been so vivid, so real. It was like she had been stood on the very bridge of the ISD_ Audacious_. In her dream, she had been witness to Captain Motti finding the _Rapier_. She wondered about Fluera – it seemed odd hearing her name spoken as 'Fleura', she was Deepa now and not Fluera – strange that the Empire believed her to be dead. Her dream omitted to reveal why her friend was officially dead. Maybe one day it would be revealed to her but for now that was unimportant. What was important was that for the foreseeable future they were safe.

Fa'ale turned over and drifted off back to sleep. This time the Force had nothing to say to her.

1


End file.
